Introduction to The Coronavirus Renaissance

To paraphrase Dickens this was the best and worst of times.  The great quarantine was something new to most of the world’s population.  Large portions of the workforce were no longer leaving their homes.  The Coronavirus Recession was inevitable. The Coronavirus Renaissance was the inevitable result of massive amounts of creative people being stuck indoors.  The Coronavirus held them in captivity much like Annie Wilkes did to Paul Sheldon in the Stephen King novel Misery.
There will be some that argue that we are not in a recession at the time I am writing this introduction.  Technically a recession has to last 6 months before it is even classified as a recession.  We know the official status of the recession as early as June or July since that is when we will be able to look at a 6 month period in the Chinese economy.  This virus has devastated Asia and Europe so far.  We are already seeing a shift from brick and mortar stores to a hybrid of online/physical.  This shift may be the one thing that prevents a full depression.  Time will tell whether recession or depression is the final stage of the economic fallout from this quarantine.  What is evident is that a large number of creative people are forced to consume and produce entertainment to keep boredom at bay.
When I refer to The Great Quarantine I am including all forms of quarantine during the 2020 pandemic.  Some of these were forced by government.  Some of these were voluntary. Large numbers of non-essential businesses were closed either voluntarily or by government decree.  Several different styles of quarantine took place during this time period.  Each will be examined as well as the resulting infection rates.
The purpose of this book is not only to examine what happened, but to shed light on the results of the actions taken.  History is not simple a record of what happened.  The phrase “history repeats itself” is often misunderstood.  No one event is exactly repeated.  Historical patterns often repeat.  Historians are not only examiners of the past.  The are predictors of the future.  There are time when it appears as though we have a time machine. We do not.  We have history to guide us.  Our perception of history can change.  New facts and an examination of old facts can bring about new discussions.  
In this book I will be using a number of terms.  The term Great Quarantine or Coronavirus Quarantine refers to a number of measures taken both forced and voluntary to ensure the limiting of the spread of the virus. The term Coronavirus Renaissance refers to the influx of culture during and following the Coronavirus Quarantine. Coronavirus Recession refers to the economic fallout from the Great Quarantine.  COVID-19 refers to the strains of Coronavirus Disease first discovered on New Year’s Eve of 2019.  Social Distancing refers to the voluntary practices of reduced contact of non-contact by people during the Quarantine. Flattening the Curve refers to the goal of a reduction of transmissions and deaths from the virus through both voluntary and involuntary quarantine methods.
In modern history the only comparison we have is to the 1918 Flu Pandemic (the so called “Spanish” Influenza outbreak).  I will briefly examine that outbreak and the change in culture following. There will also be a brief discussion of The Black Plague and the resulting Italian Renaissance.
It may seem a bit early to start discussing the history of something that is just beginning.  In this age where new editions can be released at the drop of a hat I don’t think it’s too early to start a discussion of this at all.  This Renaissance will not just be an American one.  This will be worldwide at exactly the same time.  It will be on a scale never before seen in our history. Our times are changing.   
   
Justin Kimberlin
Introduction to The Coronavirus Renaissance
First Draft

March 26th, 2020

© 2020 Justin Kimberlin